Ball grid array (BGA) packages are becoming increasingly popular because of their low profiles and high densities. With a BGA package, for example, the rounded solder balls of the BGA are generally soldered directly to corresponding surface mount pads of a printed circuit board rather than to plated thru-holes which receive pins from, for example, a pin grid array (PGA) IC package.
Sockets allow particular IC packages to be interchanged without permanent connection to a circuit board. More recently, sockets for use with BGA packages have been developed to allow these packages to be non-permanently connected (e.g., for testing) to a circuit board. Such sockets can be attached to circuit boards at connection points that mirror those of the BGA packages that the sockets are used with. However, problems can exist in attaching a socket to a circuit board using reflowable substances.